Radiator inclosure



May 16, 1933. E. w. G|LHooL RADIATOR INCLOSURE Filed Aug. 27. 1931 *von y v v v 1 y OO '00..." o".

Edward WTGZZOOZ,

Patented MayY 1.6, y1933 UNITED l STATES yP .A'rsla'i OFFICE f y* :EDWARD W. GILHOOL, 0F1`PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA RADIATOR. INCLosUaE .f

Application filed August 27, 1931. Serial No. 559,796.`

lhisinvention relates to improvements in radiator inclosures, and particularly to improvements in radiator inclosures of that type shown f in my prior application for. patent iled December 30, 1929, Serial No. 417,530, in which the inclosure is provided with a back opening', with detachable closin means, whereby the inclosure may be fitte in osition about the radiator and Withdrawn rom such position by movements toward and from the radiator, considered from a point infront of the radiator. f

Heretofore-it has been customary to make radiator inclosures or jackets of a unitary typey or with lparts permanently iXed with relation to each other, requiring the inclosure to be applied by sliding it from above down upon the radiator. Such inclosures are heavy and can not be conveniently shipped or stored or applied to the radiator, and in such cases,fas where the radiator is very close ,to

walls or other obstructions or overhung by `a window ledge, lavatory top or the like, it is impossible to. apply the inclosure to the radiator. I

One object of the present invention is to provide a knockdown or sectional radiatori in-y closure which overcomes these objections to prior inclosures and which b. the use `of assembled sections can be readi y and conveniently applied to a radiator of any given size. Anotherv object of the present invention is to provide a radiator inclosure of knockdown type and conveniently connectedy and disconnected, whereby the inclosurev may be disposed in knockdown form for storage or shipment, and set up for use by the-user and applied without the use of'special tools to radiators. to which radiator casings of ordinary unitary type can not be applied, thereby obviating the necessity of shipping complete inclosures r of large size ready for use and the expense incident `to shipping or storing the same, While furnishing an inclosure which may be applied to radiators which are close to walls or overhung by various kinds of obstructions. The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement comprising a suitable number of` '35 parts or sections adapted to be readily and of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, in which f f Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a radiator inclosure embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. f -Fig. 3 is a vertical front-tofrearA sectionl through the radiator inclosure.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section .through a part of the radiatorinclosure on line 4*-41 of 60 Fig. 3. i A

Fig.- 5 is Aa horizontal lsection through the top bar of the front or intermediate section of the inclosure and a front end postrof an end section taken, for example, on line'- 55 of Fig.A l. 1

F ig. 6 is a sectional plan view of one of the end sections.

Referring now .more particularly to the drawing, 1 designates ygenerally my improved radiator inclosure, which comprises a jacket# like casing of suitable size. and form to inclose a radiator, not shown.- The inclosure or casing l. 's of knockdown type andcomprises duplicate or ycounterpart end sections or members 2 and 3,1a front, or

intermediate section or'memberli, a topy or cover `Section5 and a rear wall composed of sections 6 and 7 constructedand'arranged as hereinafter described.

vEach end sectionQ and 3 is substantially U-shaped in plan and horizontal'section and comprises a front end or corner postS, a rear end or corner post 9, Ushaped top `and bottom bars or rails V10 and 11', which partslform f an open U.-shaped frame, and a body or panel 120i screen material fitted in grooves inthe posts and bars or otherwise secured thereto. The posts A8 and 9 are preferably provided at their lower ends with feet 13 of suitable form to support the casing at a sufficiently high elevation to allow cleaning tools to be inserted for the removal of dust and dirt beneath the radiator.

The front orfintermediate section 4 may be of any suitable form, construction and length to give'a desired appearance to the casing, as well as to enable .a casing of any desired length to be produced. Said section Liinay be a single section, of unitary construction, for

radiator casings ot short or intermediate lengths, or it may consist oft' a plurality o1' sections suitably united, so as to allow the parts to be compact-ly stored or shipped and applied in position tor use. In the present instance the section 1 is shown as of unitary construction and comprising a center post 111 and top and bottom bars 15 and 16 suitably secured thereto, and forming a frame closed by a body or panel 17 of screen material which may be similar to the screen material 12, and w iich is secured in grooves in the post 14 and bars 15 and 16 or applied thereto in any suitable manner. The bars 15 and 16 may be longitudinally straight, if it be desired to give astraight line formation to the front of the' casing,` but, as shown in the present instance, the bars are longitudinally curved, so as to give a pleasing front curvature or swell front form to the casing, allowing an ornamental and attractive type of casing to be produced in a very simple and effective manner. The top section or cover 5 is ot a form corresponding to the outline formation of the sections 2, 3 and il and is adapted to fit down upon the top rails 10 and 15 to close the top of theY casing formed by the sections when assembled.

The casing as thus i'ar described comprises a body formed of separate sections 2, 3 and 4, together with a removable top 5, and removable back sections 6 and 7, which are normally disconnected and may thus bc shipped or stored in a convenient knockdown form so as to occupy a very small amount of shipping or storage space. The parts may be delivered to the user of the radiator inclosure who may assemble the parts and apply the same about lthe radiator without skilled aid, if desired, and also without the use of special tools. The casing may be applied by disposing the end sections 2 and 3 about the ends of the radiator and spaced so as to admit the intermediate or front section 4 between them, after which the end sections 2 and 3 are 'united by slipping,r the outer side edges of the body screen or panel 17 of the intermediate section into grooves 18 formed for theirtreception in the corner posts 8 of the end section and then coupling the bars 15 and 16 with the posts 8 of the end sections by coupling means which I will now proceed to describe.

As shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, each bar 15 and 16 is provided adjacent its free end with a longitudinal bore or socket 19 opening through its free end and which is closed at such end by abutment of the same against the inner face of the coacting post 8. This bore or socket 19 is designed to receive and inclose a coupling carried by the post 8 and adapted to be disposed and secured in the socket 19. This coupling comprises an anchoring screw eye or the like 2O fixed in and projecting beyond the inner face of the cooperating post 8, and a pair of coupling screw eyes 21 and 22 connected by an internally threaded sleeve 23 and forming therewith a turnbuckle type of coupling member. The threaded ends of the screw eyes 21 and 22 are arranged in adjacent relationship for engagement by the sleeve 23 and the eye 24 of the screw eye 21 pivotally engages the eye 25 of the screw eye 20, while the eye 26 of the screw eye 22 is disposed at the inner end of the socket. 19 and is adapted to receive a fastening pin, screw or bolt 27 inserted from above down through registering openings 28 and 29 inthe upper and lower walls ot' the socket 19, whereby the coupling member is held connected to the bar 15 or 16, as the case may be. Normally a turnbuckle coupling, constructed as above described, is arranged at the top and bottom of each post 8 for engagement with the ends of the bars or rails 15 and 16 of the intermediate casing section, and when the casing sections 2, 3 and 4 are fitted together the coupling members are inserted in the sockets 19 at the time the edges ot the screen or panel 17 are brought into engagement with the grooves 18. The astenings 27 are then inserted to secure the coupling members to the bars or rails 15 and 16 and the sleeves of the couplings are then adjusted or turned up to shorten the coupling members and thus draw the sections 2, 3 and l together. In order to enable this to be conveniently done7 each turnbuckle sleeve 23 is provided with rows of annular openings 30 to receive a wire nail or other convenient form of implement which may be inserted down into the socket 19 through a slot or access opening 31 in the top of the rail 15 or bottom of the rail 16, whereby the turnbuckle sleeves may be adjusted in a ready and convenient manner and by a person unskilled in the use of tools and without the necessity of employing any special type of tool. In the present instance the astenings 27 are shown in the form of headed screws, and the heads of these screws 27 applied to the bar or rail 15 are arranged. to project above said bar or rail to serve as holding studs or tenons adapted to enga-ge recesses 32 in the cover 5 when the latter is fitted in position. By this means the cover 5 may be secured in place against sliding movement in any direction without the use of additional fastenings but in such manner that it may be readily released at any time by simply lifting it out of engagement with the studs.

The radiator casing structure set forth not only adapts the casing to be shipped or stored in its assembled or knockdmvn form but also applied to radiators which are tree or clear from obstructions or which are arranged close to walls or overhung by obstructions, as it is not necessary to apply the casing down upon the radiator from above,

floor and secured together to form the casingy while in this position. rlhe radiator casing formed by assemblage of the sections 2, 3 and 4 is open at and also at the rear, and may as thus far constructed, where the length of the radiator ,is less than the distance between the rear posts 9, be, after having been set up, applied to or removed from the radiator by simply sliding it forward or backward, as will be readily understood. lVhere the radiator is of greater lengththan the distance between the posts 9 and fits snugly atits ends within the end sections 2 and 3 it will be necessary, in order to remove the radiator casing, to

disconnect one or the other of the end sections 2 or 3, or `all-three sections 2, 3 and4, before the casing can be removed, but this can be effected in a ready, easy and convenient manner by simply releasing the turnbuckle couplings, as will be readily understood.

For the purpose of uniting the casing sections 2 and 3 at the rear, a turnbuckle typo of adjustable fastening is provided comprising a headed rod member 33 pivotcd to one of the end sections, as at 34, and a threaded rod section 35 pivoted to the other end section, as c t 36, and a turnbuckle sleeve 37 adjust-ably connecting said rod sections, and the use of which in connecting and disconnecting the sections will be obvious. The rear wall sections 6 and 7 are provided for closing the radiator casing at the rear in order to provide a dust-free passage between the casing and wall of the room in rear thereof, to prevent as far as possible soiling of the walls from this cause, while providing an upflow passage for the air about the radiator, which air will carry rwith it any dust from the floorline so that the dust will not be drawn directly upward between the radiator and the wall and projected by currents of air as free dust into the atmosphere. The panel sections 6 and 7 of the rear wall are preferably formed of sheet metal plates which extend across the space between the posts 9, which posts are provided with grooves 38 to receive such edges of the plates, whereby said plates are slidably and detachably fitted in position. The plate 6 is preferably provided at its upper and lower edges with doubled portions or reinforcing flanges or beads 39, which prevent it from bending or lbuckling and thus allow a sheet of comparatively thin material to be employed, and the upper flange 39 serves as a support for the lower edge of the section 7, which section 7 is provided at its upper end with an arched or U- haped portion or hood 40 which the bottom and at the top,v

va room, or to suit the projects forwardly and closes the space above the radiator' at thetop of the casing body against the upward escape of air. orvdust at this point. By this means la-large proportion of the dust which would otherwiseiescape into the atmosphere will be arrested by the hood and retained in the casing, from `which it may beremoved at intervals, and

the heated air will be uniformly'distributed through the screen materialat the front and.y ends of the radiator casing.l When the rear turnbuckle fastening is drawn tight the wall sec-tions 6 and 7 will be tightly held in position between the posts 9. Uponfrelaxing the rear turnbuckle connection, however, the sections 6 and 7 will be released rsufficientlylto permit the section7 or both sections 6 and 7, tobe slipped upwardly and removed, upon removal of the cover 5, for cleaningwhenever desired without the necessity of removing ordist'urbing the radiator casing as a whole. y, y

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, mode of use, and mode of application and removal, of my improved knockdown or sectional radiator casing willl be readily understood without a further ,and extended description, and it will be seen that theA invention provides a device of this character which is of simple construction and designed and adapted to overcome the' stated objections to prior radiator casings in a reliable and effective manner. The casing may be made ofy all-metal, or a composite structure of wood and metal, and, when made partly of wood, the wooden parts may be pro-v vided withA shieldsf41 arranged .to protect them from the heat of theradiator and obviate liability of warping of the wood.` The construction described, furthermore, lends itself to the production of radiator inclosures of very attractive type, since the sectional construction permits of the use of interchangeable parts of different design, allowing assemblage of parts of varying designs in such manner as to provide an ornamental form of casing particularly suited to a particular type of radiator or the decorations of particular user. j

While the construction disclosed is preferred it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, arrangement and details of construction of the device may be made Within the scope ofthe appended claims,

without departing from the spirit or sacri- {icing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

What I claim is 1. A radiator casing comprising end sections provided with front and rear corner posts, an intermediate front section having top and bottom rails, said rails provided with longitudinal sockets opening through their taste or fancy of theV ends, turnhuclle connections in said sockets and adjustable to draw the sections together, the rails having access openings communicating with the sockets through which a tool may be inserted to adjust said connections, and means for securing the turnbuckle connections to the rails.`

2. A radiator casing comprising end sections provided with front and rear corner posts and end panels slidably connected therewith, an intermediate front section having top and bottom rails and a panel slidably con nected therewith and withsaid front corner posts, adjustable coupling connections between the front corner posts of the end sections and said rails, an adjustable fastening connection between Vthe rear corner posts of the end sections, and a rea-r Wall section secured to and between the vrear corner posts of the end sections and provided at its top with a hood to overhang the radiator.

3. A radiator casing comprising end sections provided With front and rear corner posts and end panels slidably connected thereivith, an intermediate front section having top and bottom rails and a panel slidably connected therewith and with said `front corner posts, adjustable coupling connections between the .front corner posts of the end scctions and said rails, an adjustable fastening connection between the rear corner posts oi the end sections, and a rear wall section comprising upper and lower sheet metal plates slidably engaging the rear corner posts and a hood continuous with the upper plate and projecting therefrom to overhang the radiator.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWARD W. GILHOOL. 

